no title

Rumblings xtra: Items that didn't make print edition

By: Bob Hunter

The Columbus Dispatch - August 30, 2013 09:34 AM

The Columbus Clippers have drawn 612,565 and Indianapolis is at 608,320 as the
International League rivals each have two home games left in a race to lead the minor leagues in
total attendance this season. Clippers president and general manager Ken Schnacke called for fans
to “rally ‘round the challenge” as the Clippers host Toledo at 6:05 Sunday and again on 3:05 on
Monday, a Dime-a-Dog Day final.

Columbus might have won total attendance easily, but it
had two Saturday dates and a Dime-a-Dog date rained out. Indy had only one rainout this year. For
that reason, the Clippers should top the minors in average attendance. In 67 openings, the Clippers
are averaging 9,142. In 69 dates, Indianapolis has averaged 8,816. Lehigh Valley, which lost three
dates, has averaged 8,970.

If the Clippers top the minors in total attendance, it
would mark the second time in the five-year history of Huntington Park. They also led in their
inaugural season there. This is the fourth time in franchise history they have drawn more than
600,000 fans.

Crew general manager Mark McCullers said earlier this season that when the team
hit 7,000 season tickets we’d know it, and he was true to his word. The team sent out a press
release this week announcing its “Save. Support. Be Massive. 2014 season ticket campaign” and
quoted Mike Malo, the team’s senior vice-president of sales and marketing, with the news.

“The Columbus community has really responded to our
Goal 10K campaign and has helped put us on a path to accomplish this milestone,” Malo said. “We
certainly need to continue this momentum now that we have surpassed the 7,000 season ticket
benchmark and are in the home stretch.”

The team began its quest for 10,000 season ticket
holders prior to the 2012 season and had never publicly acknowledged what its numbers were before
McCullers admitted that it was under 7,000 this summer.

While the team appears to have a long way to go, the
release indicated that 2013 new season tickets set a Crew record, besting the 2012 record. It noted
that “corporate support has been the hub of that success, growing the club’s corporate season
ticket base by almost 200 per cent in the last two years.”

With the Clippers and the Double-A Akron Aeros both out of their respective
playoff races and the Indians still hanging close in both the division and wild card races, the
Tribe seems likely call up a lot of players when the roster expands on Sept. 1.

Cleveland starter Danny Salazar is on a pitch count and
is expected to remain on one until the end of the season, so the Indians are likely to bolster
their roster with relievers (Vinnie Pestano, Scott Barnes, Nick Hagadone, C.C. Lee, Preston
Guilmet, Matt Langwell) and may even consider going to a six-man rotation which could give them a
place to use Josh Tomlin or Trevor Bauer.

With Akron shortstop Francisco Lindor hurt, the Tribe
isn’t expected to get much September help from its minor league position players, but still
could call up as many as eight to 10 players when it has the chance.

Terrelle Pryor had an opportunity to seize the Oakland Raiders starting
quarterback job last night during an exhibition game with Seattle.

The former Ohio State star didn’t do much – he was 3 of
8 for 31 yards with an interception – although he wasn’t given much of a chance to get into rhythm
during his half of work. The Seahawks had 20:24 of possession in the first half and Oakland (1-3)
ran only 19 offensive plays. Matt Flynn sat out with a sore elbow.

Raiders offensive coordinator Greg Olson created an
offensive package in the off-season to get Pryor on the field, primarily because he didn’t want to
let his athleticism to go to waste.

Olson had no idea at the time that Pryor would play so
well during the pre-season and put the heat on Flynn, the expected starter, who was signed in the
off-season.

“We signed Matt [Flynn] with the thought being that he’s
going to come in and be the starter, and we would have that package for Terrelle,” Olson told CSN
Bay Area. “But Terrelle has done some things in these preseason games that we’ve been excited
about; stuff that a lot of people are excited about. With his success on the field, we’ll continue
to add to that package. It was the thought process going in to it. There wasn’t a big package for
him a year ago, so we had to absorb that first part. As we continue to grow offensively, we’ll
continue to add plays for Terrelle.”

Pryor’s package of plays will have to be further
expanded and he will have to handle those if he is to become the team’s starter.

“When you see Terrelle in a game, he just looks faster
than the other players on the field,” Olson said. “That’s what jumped out at me, and probably
jumped out at most people when they watch him play. He can run. He is a tremendous athlete, and he’s
got the ability to make plays. Right now we’re looking for playmakers.”

After bolstering their offensive with a trade for Mets outfielder Marlon Byrd on
Tuesday, the Pirates now have their eye on former American League MVP Justin Morneau, according to
CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman.

The Twins first baseman cleared waivers, and the team
is reportedly willing to pay some of the close to $3 million left on Morneau's $14 million salary,
depending on the value of the prospect Minnesota receives in a trade.

If Pittsburgh were to acquire Morneau, that would
enable the team to utilize Garrett Jones in the outfield. Outfielder Starling Marte has been out
with a hand injury.

With a long range eye on the 2016 Olympics, Canada Basketball this week announced
the final roster for the senior men’s basketball team that will compete in the 2013 FIBA Americas
Championship, a qualifier for next year’s World Cup. Cleveland Cavaliers forward Tristain Thompson
is considered the best player on the team, which also includes San Antionio Spurs point guard Cory
Joseph.

According to Sportsnet.ca, Thompson, the fourth overall
pick in the 2011 draft, has developed into the team leader on the young team, which Canada hopes
can get enough international experience to compete for a medal in the 2016 Olympics.

Notre Dame’s first official depth chart of the 2013 season has eight true freshman
on it, including outside linebacker Jaylon Smith as a starter. That is reportedly three more than
at the beginning of last season. The 6-foot-3, 230-pound Smith will become the first freshman
linebacker to start a season opener for the Irish since Kory Minor in 1994.